This month, the town of Abernathy became the 24th city in Texas to pass and enforce a Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance. The local policy bans abortion within city limits.
Abernathy, a town of 3,000, joins a growing movement of Pro-Life Texans calling on their local leaders to stand for Life and reject the deadly abortion industry.
The ordinance passed in a unanimous vote by the Abernathy City Council. A large number of Abernathy citizens attended the council meeting and showed their support for the Pro-Life measure.
Mark Lee Dickson, who has spearheaded the Sanctuary City movement, attended the council meeting and reported on the event. According to Dickson, passing the ordinance had particular urgency in the minds of many Abernathy residents because the city of Lubbock recently voted to become a Sanctuary City for the Unborn. Lubbock is the largest city to pass the ordinance thus far.
Pro-Lifers in Lubbock have been fighting for years to prevent the return of the abortion giant Planned Parenthood after Lubbock had been abortion free for years.
Now that Planned Parenthood is again open in Lubbock, Abernathy residents are concerned that abortion operations will move to the surrounding towns that do not yet have an enforceable Pro-Life ordinance.
One Abernathy resident at the meeting asked the mayor and councilmembers, “If Planned Parenthood obeys the law and does not perform abortions in Lubbock where are they going to go? We need to make sure abortions cannot ever be performed here in Abernathy.” Abernathy is 19 miles north of Lubbock.
The council’s decision to pass the ordinance was met with enthusiastic approval, by both the mayor and the residents who had signed the petition requesting the ordinance. Abernathy’s Mayor Ron Johnson stated, “May 10th of 2021 is etched in my memory forever for two reasons. It was my first meeting presiding as mayor, but most importantly Abernathy, Texas, became a Sanctuary City for the Unborn!”
Amanda Anderson, a resident of Abernathy said she supports the Pro-Life action because, “the harm done to both mother and children is horrific.”
Likewise, Father Brian Wood, an Abernathy resident and pastor in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lubbock, said he wanted to see abortion outlawed because, “it destroys the life of an innocent baby and there are many options for the mothers to give their baby to someone who wants him or her.”
At the meeting, the council and residents in attendance received reassurance from Councilman Mike Cummings from Joaquin, Texas. Joaquin was the fourth city to pass a Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance.
Cummings testified in favor of Abernathy passing a similar measure. Abortion activists have tried to intimidate Texas towns with threats of frivolous lawsuits for Sancutary Cities for the Unborn, but, as Cummings stated, these are only threats.
“My city outlawed abortion in September of 2019 and we have no regrets,” Cummings explained. “We were even sued by the ACLU. The lawsuit brought by the ACLU lasted three months. The ACLU ended up withdrawing their lawsuit and, to this very day, abortion remains outlawed in Joaquin, Texas.” Cummings continued, “you may hear that this ordinance is going to cost your city or taxpayers a whole lot of money. I am here to testify that it did not cost the city of Joaquin or our taxpayers one cent. As I said before, we have no regrets for outlawing abortions in Joaquin, Texas.”
Abernathy, like other towns that have passed an ordinance banning abortion have been offered the aid of Attorney Jonathan F. Mitchell, the former Solicitor General of Texas, in the event that there is any litigation as a result of the Pro-Life protections.
Taking local control and protecting Life at every level of government has never been more important. Especially as our country suffers under the anti-Life power of the Biden-Harris Administration.
The Sanctuary City for the Unborn movement continues to grow. There is increasing interest in many other parts of Texas to join Abernathy and the other cities that have made protecting innocent human Life a priority.